Before she laid her fingers to a keyboard, Linda was a fashion designer, and then owned the eclectic store Flash Cadilac and Savannah Devilles in Ottawa on Rideau Street from 1976-1996. She also did clothing for various media and worked on “You Can’t do that on Television”. After writing for years about things that she cared about or pissed her off on American media she finally found her calling. She is a weekly columnist for the Sherbrooke Record and documents history every single day and has over 6500 blogs about Lanark County and Ottawa and an enormous weekly readership.
Linda has published six books and is in her 4th year as a town councillor for Carleton Place. She believes in community and promoting business owners because she believes she can, so she does.
What is now part of Snow Road Station was once called McLaren’s Depot. The lumberman Peter Mclaren built a small log store, with a post office and a residence on what is now the east end of Snow road. He also built large warehouses, stables and a blacksmith shop. His blacksmith was James Cameron father of Walter Cameron, the famous blacksmith and woodcarver of Fallbrook. In 1887 the Canada lumber company bought all of the McLaren interests and Peter McLaren moved to his home in Perth, Nevis Cottage. He became a Senator in 1890. The Canada Lumber Company built a larger store next to the warehouses and…
The Lanark Village I knew (1945-63), for which I have fond memories: Getting climatized to the Village winters after our transition from ‘Toronto the Good’ in June 1945. Likely the winter of 1946-47 on Canning Street with my mother and brother, Tom, with Ben Willis’ home and farm in the background. The gentle and elderly Ben Willis would become a grandfather figure to me as I helped to care for his horses. Note the name of the sleigh, ‘Spitfire’ – great and effective marketing in the early post-WWII era!
Lots of outdoor winter fun in the Village in the late 1940s when nights at -30C were the norm! (Photo: my mother and I with dog, ‘Tipsy,’ making our way across George Street with the old Town Hall and Clock Tower in the background after yet another snow storm!
The Drysdale, Foster, Kear kids – and others, but not sure of name – enjoying winter fun between the house we rented at the time from Nettie Baird and the 1902 Zion Hall on York Street. Fortunately for me, living in the Village was truly an idyllic childhood after transitioning from ‘Toronto the Good’ on the 1st anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1945! For various reasons, I realized very early that my experience was not the case for all kids in the community.
Same location on York Street in front of Nettie Baird’s house on York Street. My brother, Tom, and I tobogganing with the older Blackburn brothers, Neil and Louis. Good times in the Village!
Same location and winter activity with lots of snow of building forts. In the background you can see the Clyde River frozen over and if you closely, a shingle mill on Canning Street that burned down the following year.
Mike Robert shares a fabulous photo which may have been shared in the comments of Lost Ottawa before.
It looks like family that would have a lot trouble fitting in to that Porsche, but it really fits with our sign theme of the week.
Behind the family? The sign for the Royal Burger just east of St. Laurent on Montreal Road.
Notes Mike: “love this sign at the corner of Mtl. Road and Brittany Drive where Mark Motors is located now. My mother’s house was the white house in the background that became a vet’s office. I fondly remember the drive-thru at the RB!”
Best onion rings ever made. Large sweet onions, my friend worked there and I i Rembrandt correctly they were hand made at one point. Very rare to find this kind of onion ring today.
There was a Royal Burger at Woodroffe and Carling we went to a couple of times, but usually we went to Capital Burger which was cheaper on Croydon and Carling across from the Fire Station. I used to love the hot dogs, that were curled to fit a hamburger bun.
Best burgers and especially their “Bermuda” onion rings and real shakes to wrap up a great meal. Our daughter worked at the one in Peterborough. It closed and became a DQ. White house also vet clinic of Dr. Carioto. I would not be surprised if that was not the Mark family.
I remember it. We used to go there until they closed not long after McDonald’s opened in front of it.
About six years ago, I discovered The Hintonburger’s burgers tasted the same as the Royal’s and biting into one brought back good memories of the Royal Burger. Now, both are closed.
Loved Royal Burger. I believe they closed around 1973. I was pregnant, had a craving for their onion rings and made my husband drive all over Ottawa trying to find one but they were all closed.
They were the first to have an intercom to order your food and have it ready when you arrived at the window. they had a slider window on the side for the carless customers. The special sauce was the taste. We liked the one on bank street, it was close and open late.. Owned by Lou MacDonald.
If memory serves me the Richmond road and Carling Avenue stores were owned by the Bruce family that also owned Bruce Fuels and Frazer Duntile (the quarry on Clyde Avenue). I worked for the Bruce family (old man Reginald and son Bob) in the mid 70s. There office was a big White House on Carling avenue stuck between two tall apartment buildings just next to Carlingwood. It was the longest year of my life. Swore I would never work for a family business again, at least as an outsider.
I sure do! My husband and I lived on Montreal Road right across from Royal Burger. Their burgers were the best, as were their onion rings. I remember the Royal burger, with 2 patties was 60 cents, and the burgerette, with one patty was 25 cents. Oh, for the good ol’ days of the 60s.
I used to go to the one just east of the Champlain Bridge when I was a kid. The last one I remember was at the corner of Richmond and Ambleside. I last saw “Mike” at Super Ex running a Royal Burger ‘truck’ that he said was doing the fair circuit at the time. He rememberd both my mom and me and even gave me my burger for free. That can’t be more than 5-10 years ago.
I worked at the Richmond road location as a teen, I remember making the “Special Sauce” in 5 gallon pails that pickles or other food products came in. We would pour all the ingredients in the pail, then stir it with your arm fully emerged in the product.
I worked for a year at the one on Carling at cross if Woodruff Ave. Friday and Sat. Were madhouse. A lit of folks at Britania Drive inn would make food run before second feature and I remember frilling 25 Royales at once for a single order.
Yes. That was my grandfather Reg Bruce’s chain of burger places. He also had Royal Donut. The ” Bruce MacDonald ” that someone is referring to is the “Bruce /MacDonald Motor Hotel that my grandfather built on Carling Ave. His business partners last name in that hotel was MacDonald. It’s now called Embassy West Hotel. So there’s some history for you.
There’s an ad on this CMN chart(From June 1963) in the top left corner with a list of the Royal Burger locations. I’ll post the actual chart below so you can enjoy it too.
Four years after our marriage, in 1964, we rented an apartment on the West end of Hull, on the very street where the first Royal Burger was installed. It was built from prefab components in less than a week. Thereafter, every evening until the wee hours, we were treated to “Yeah!”, “with the works” and wonderful phrases like that, never to be forgotten. Wafts of burning flesh perfumed the air all summer long. Wonderful memories!
I must have been 5 or 6 (1969-70) when for a treat my parents would hit the Royal Burger on Richmond rd. It was a drive-through and i was allowed to yell into the order board what I wanted. It was always the same thing “Chip & Coke). Yes, I was very exciteable back then. Can’t say I was upset years later when Harvey’s occupied the same land.
I only remember the one on Bank Street. Does anyone remember their display on the Sparks Street Mall with the 1957 Desoto dinky car that continuously ran in a circle?
The one in Hull was Royal in name only after Bruce Macdonald shut the doors. My first job (after paper routes) was sweeping the parking lot on Richmond Rd. I impressed the manager that he hired me. I remember getting rides home in his 57 Canary yellow Chevy. Loud and fast, back then not as many cars on the road then. Especially after dropping the takings at the hotel. I remember Harvey’s bedside us. We traded burgs for fries. Funny our meat was fresh and fries frozen. While Harvey’s was the opposite. And our rings were made daily. Double dipped was that procedure. The closest to them would be A&W rings.
Dining Out in Lost Ottawa … at the Royal Burger on Quebec Route 148 as you head up river to the Pontiac region.
Shared by Bruce Mitchell, who says:
“This Royal Burger sign is all that remains of what might have been the last Royal Burger. It is on Highway 148 in Quebec just west of Ottawa before Luskville.
When I started taking this route 12 years ago there was a burned out restaurant and they were still operating out of a trailer.
Both gone now but I did enjoy stopping for the occasional burger!”
The former Campbell Woolen Mill building originally was built in 1872 as the Almonte Furniture Company by Messrs. Kirby and Bennett and was known locally as the KirBen Building. In September of 1876 The Almonte Furniture Factory had a large fire and the town wanted it to be rebuilt even if it was thought due to indifferent management and heavy loss the furniture factory would have to close down. The shares in the company were so low that shareholders were willing going to dispose them for 30 cents on the dollar.
It may well be imagined then that the fire left little hope remaining of the factory ever regaining its proper basis. Not so, however, for the fire seems to have aroused the business men of the place to the necessity. If Almonte was still to retain the proud name of being the “Canadian…
This being an Olympic year, Almonte is moving in to grab a piece of the action. The Almonte Legion Little Olympics they plan to call it and It’s scheduled for July I, Dominion Day, 1968 at a 50-acr site built to official Olympic specifications. ‘The Almonte Legion has sponsored a July 1 track and field meet at this Ottawa Valley town 30 miles southwest of Ottawa for the past three years; and it has grown in size and quality every year on til in 1967 more than 200 of Ontario’s top athletes took part.
Runners, pole vaulters and hop-step-and-jumpers from all over the Valley and as far away as Toronto took part. Ottawa sent the Uplands Harriers and Olympia club members. In gearing this summer’s event for national recognition by the Amateur Athletes- Little Athletic Union as…
Johnny Erskine pulls another head of celery from the basket and, without losing rhythm, pitches a browning stalk into the “o u t” pile. ‘ If I wasn’t at work I’d be dead,” he says with his trademark grin. “ I get tired o f sleeping, tired o f eating and sitting around, I like to keep busy,” And though the man works away on this day as if ii were any other back in the produce preparation room at the Almonte IGA , he’s aware of ihe interviewer, and cocks his brow higher with each passing question.
“I think you’ve got more writing there than you know what to do with,” Johnny says, looking from the celery stalk to the interviewer’s face and back. And then he flashes that grin that’s been with him for all…
Pakenham downtown thanks to Marilyn Snedden via the collection of Margie Argue and her late brother Dan Paige–read-Pakenham Community CentrePhotos
Do you ever watch a movie, set in a small town where people go into a restaurant or pass each other on the street and greet each other? You wish for instant that you lived in a town like that and Almonte is that with the Superior Restaurant and Pakenham is that sort of town with the Centennial. That is what these restaurants should be best known for. It is the place where families gather, where people go after church, where the guys gather before they go hunting. It’s where people greet one another when they walk in the door. For a moment you can feel like you belong and just take in the laid-back friendliness. Let’s keep these restaurants alive!!!!
This is my great grandmother Mary I knew this existed and my sister finally found it Thanks Deb!
Mary was a very independent woman when she left for the West. She left her 3 young daughters with their Dad When I was young a family from the west would always visit and stay at the farm It took me years to figure out the connection.
My grandmother gave my daughter Tami this basket When Mary passed this was what my grandmother received from her Mother.
Not sure if there were items in the basket My grandmother Ruby gave it to Tami to use as a bed for her baby bunny rabbit When I found out the history of the basket I confiscated from Bunny immediately Lol
As a family we have virtually nothing of our Great Grandmother so each piece of her is precious But the gift that she gave us were her three daughters and son We spent many happy hours visiting Aunt Edith and Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Johnny and their families That is the greatest gift of all.
Willard (October 9, 1917 – October 4, 1956) (son) Mary (January 23, 1886 – March 7, 1964) (mother) (Pioneers) Mary James came alone fromLanark, Ontario to the OBED area where she had a little store. At OBED she met Duncan Carmichael whom later bought a dairy in Hinton on the east side of Hardisty Creek. The Hinton Dairy was run by Mary James and her son Willard. The land was then sold to Vic Webb. The farm house on the James Ranch was the old Bliss station which was originally located near the current Brick at 566 Switzer Drive. This farm house is now located at 187 Mountain Street. Willard married Marie Woodley and lived in Hinton until his death in 1956. Mary also remained here and looked after Mr. Carmichael until his death. She also passed away in Hinton.
The Lanark County Genealogical Society is very honoured to have been sent this and to be able to publish it.
This is the history written by my deceased Mother Evelyn Gemmill and updated to present by myself for the 150thCelebration last year of The Snow Road Community Centre. Sharon Dowdall also did a wonderful presentation on Snow Road and the school.
Thank you for your wonderful page on Facebook. I really enjoy reading all the history of the area.
Sincerely,
Elaine (Gemmill) DeLisle
Elphin, ON
History of McLaren’s Depot–Written by Evelyn Gemmill and Elaine DeLisle
Lot 11 Con 11 Palmerston, Frontenac County Ontario
Property: Believed to be bought from the Crown by Gillies Lumber Co. who took McLaren on as a partner and later sold to him hence the name McLaren’s Depot. McLaren sold to Canada Lumber Co. in 1880 who sold to…
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